African Cats

African Cats (2011) is a Disneynature documentary you can watch online on iFILM, filmed over two years on location in Kenya's Maasai Mara reserve. Directors Keith Scholey and Alastair Fothergill — the team behind the BBC's Planet Earth — kept their cameras close enough to catch the sweat, the dust and the fear.

Three animals carry the story: lion cub Mara, whose mother Layla is losing her strength while a rival male closes in on the pride; and Sita, a solitary cheetah raising five cubs with no backup and very long odds. The footage is unscripted and unrestaged — the river crossings, the hunts, the fights happen in real time.

Disneynature released the film on Earth Day 2012 and donated a portion of opening-week proceeds to African wildlife conservation. What makes it more than a beautiful nature film is that you genuinely care whether these specific animals — with names and personalities — make it through. Stream African Cats (2011) in high quality on iFILM.